Final Post Before Heading Home

Yesterday was fantastic as we enjoyed our river cruise and boat show before returning to the hotel late last night. Today we have been invited to Christina's home (she is one of the girls who visited SCS) for a visit. Earlier in the trip, her father met us for dinner and was adamant about showing his appreciation by having us visit his home. I am sure it will be a memorable experience. After our visit, we will make one more trip to the city center for a final round of souvenir purchases, then on to the airport for our trip home. We are all looking forward to seeing our families and sleeping in our own bed, however, I speak for all of us when I say leaving is bitter sweet. Our friends here make it difficult to leave, as expressed by the tears shed between several students when leaving the school. I am positive this experience has changed lives on both sides of the ocean, and I am blessed to be part of a much bigger picture than even I can see. God Bless all who have followed our journey, and thank you for your prayers and support.

Mr. Naterman

Another Great Day

Several of our students say that today was the best day of the trip. We went to school and began with a tour of the student dormitories. These were different from what our students expected. Eleven students share a room filled with bunk beds. Everything is very well organized and each student's area must be maintained at a high level. Be sure to have your students tell you about this visit.
Next it was time to divide into two groups and head to class. I went to class with the Middle School students, Brady and Zac. Our first class was Chinese Art. We painted a traditional Chinese painting. Our instructions were all given in Chinese, so understanding the what we were supposed to do was more than challenging. Next, we went to a Physics class and did a very hands on lesson on sound. It was a wonderfully taught class. Zac was given the chance to show off his guitar skills! The last class for the day was PE where we learned Chinese Kung Fu. This was amazing to watch, but I opted out on participating! We spent our free time moving from class to class distributing gifts. Our students felt like famous Hollywood stars.

After watching Mr. Naterman take on the GDFLS headmaster in a round of ping pong, it was off to lunch. The cafeteria is huge, but they had a section saved for us and a few of their students.

After a quick stop at the hotel, it was off to either shopping or massages. More than half of us chose the hour long massage for the equivalent of $10! Next, we took a walking tour of Guilin. The city has four lakes and two rivers. It seems like everywhere we look there are beautiful mountains, lovely water and flowers blooming.
After another short shopping stop, it was time for dinner. Tonight we had steak and it was very good. After dinner, it was time for just a little more shopping, then home to bed.

We are exhausted, but so happy! Every detail of our stay in Guilin has been perfectly planned. Yvonne, Kelly and Lily are taking care of us while we are here. All three are English teachers at the school. Yvonne and Kelly have traveled with groups of students to visit us in Texas. They truly feel like family.

Tomorrow we have a very full, but relaxing day planned. We will leave our hotel at 8:00 to begin a five hour boat tour of the Lijiang River cruise. It will be a memorable experience. After the tour we will attend a very special show, then head back to Guilin. We expect to be back at the hotel at 11:00 PM. It will be a very long, but great day.

Off to bed-
Kathy

Beautiful Guilin

We arrived safely in Guilin last night. Our friends from GDFLS were waiting for us at the airport and transported us to our hotel. We then went and had a late dinner at KFC. The school had planned a full meal for us at our hotel, but we arrived after the restaurant had closed. The kids were happy with KFC!

This morning we had a traditional Chinese breakfast at our hotel then traveled by bus to the school. The true beauty of the city was evident to the students as they saw Guilin for the first time in the daylight. As we arrived at the school, we were greeted with television cameras and an assembly of students. The headmaster welcomed us and presented each of us with a sweater that is part of their school uniform. We gave the school a US flag that was flown over the US Capital.

After the welcome, it was off to class! We first attended an English class where the lesson was a discussion of Chinese and American holidays. Their students learned about the 4th of July. We learned about Tomb Sweeping Day which is celebrated on April 4.

Next it was off to Biology where the lesson was about CPR, but it was presented in Chinese. Our students were troopers and found ways to participate. Soon we were off to a computer class where all the students programmed a simple football game.

For lunch we ate in the large student dining room. They had specially prepared a "western" meal of fried chicken, pizza and french fries for us!

We are now back at the hotel preparing for an afternoon of sight seeing at a cave in Guilin.

Hopefully, some pictures will be posted this evening of our fun-filled day.

Kathy

Leaving Suzhou/Guilin here we come!

This morning we had several hours of free time and decided to venture out to the shopping district in downtown Suzhou. Our adventure began with a ride on a crowded city bus. We are so blessed to have Mrs. Wang with us! She made sure we were on the correct bus and got off at the correct stop. We shopped a little while then had some great food for lunch (McDonalds and Pizza Hut)! Rather than waiting for a bus we decided to take taxis back to the hotel. There are no words to describe the ride...it is something that must be experienced first hand. The amazing thing is that we have only seen one small accident while we have been here. We are all back at the hotel safe and sound.

In an hour we leave the hotel to begin our trip to Guilin. Our group of students are amazing! There has been no complaining, no illness and very few lost items! I am so proud of our middle school travelers! They are troopers!

This is the end of our tourist section of the trip. Tonight we switch to our ambassador roles. Guilin, here we come!

Kathy

Pitures...but don't forget to scroll below and see the latest posts

Arrived in Suzhou

We have arrived at our hotel in Suzhou after touring the old city and visiting a famous garden. We seem to have a little extra pep in our step today, maybe because we caught up on some sleep during the 2 hour bus drive here. Suzhou is considered a small town (1 million) compared to the craziness of Shanghai. Here we are getting a better feel for what we might think of as a suburb. The garden tour was beautiful, as we were pretty well placed in the picture perfect setting we all envision of China. From the gardens it was on to the silk factory where we learned all about the production of silk. We literally looked at every stage from the initial worm eggs, to watching laborers sort through thousands of cocoons, to a fashion show of models wearing silk products. Who knew silk could be so entertaining?

From there it was on to a walking tour of old town Suzhou. This was my personal favorite so far on the trip. We walked down CROWDED streets where vendors and locals mixed and bartered. While most students started out a bit apprehensive, they quickly learned that the locals were very friendly and every bit as interested in us as we are in them. One of those "light bulb" moments. Tonight we are hanging out at the hotel where we will have dinner, and tomorrow afternoon it is off to Guilin. The fun never stops!

About to head out to Suzhou

Not much time to write other than letting everyone know that we had a wonderful time at the acrobatics show last night. We are about to head out to Suzhou and hope to update the blog with new pitures and posts sometime this evening. Hopefully, that means you will have something to look forward to when you wake up.

Another fun day...and still going!

This morning we headed out to Yu Gardens, a traditional garden area in old Shanghai. After touring the gardens, we were able to spend some time in the very crowded market. Some highlights were the BBQ sparrows (yes the little birds) and a variety of sea animals that people apparently eat!

Next we headed to the Jade Buda Temple which proved to be an interesting experience for us as a Christian group. Seeing so many people worship the statues was thought provoking for the students.

We are here at the hotel for a quick stop so we decided to post a short note and some pics. This evening we are off to a very exciting acrobatics show. It is said to be one of the very best productions in China.

Enjoying Shanghai

We had a great flight to Shanghai with plenty of room for everyone to spread out and relax. After we landed we were treated to a great lunch then began touring the Bund. Shanghai is home to over 17 million people and has over 4000 buildings over 20 stories! Everywhere we looked we could see towering apartment and office buildings. After some great photos and making new friends at the Bund, we traveled to the Children's Palace.

The Children's Palace is an after school program for gifted students. We saw young children learning the dance and songs from Chinese Operas and ballet classes. We also saw the work of young artists and heard performances on the flute and traditional Chinese instruments. It was very interesting.

After some harrowing traffic experiences, we headed to our hotel for a quick rest. The hotel is beautiful with biggger beds and great views! I can see an IKEA store! Later enjoyed dinner and a musical show before heading back to the hotel for a great nights sleep. Everyone is eating! Chandler even tried some jellyfish!

This morning we all enjoyed a huge breakfast buffet with waffles, omlets, doughnuts and fruit. We are getting ready to leave for a walking tour. It is raining and cool, but everyone is excited! Tonight we hope to get tickets for the Chinese Acrobatic Show. I think we are also going to get some good shopping in today!

We have had a little difficulty axcessing the internet due to our busy schedule. Hopefully, we will be able to post some pictures tonight.

Everyone is healthy, rested and happy. We are so blessed to be traveling with such a great group of kids.

When we get home be sure to ask about our encounter with George!

Kathy

what day is it????

We have arrived at the airport and all is well as we await our flight to Shanghai. It appears that our only problem is figuring out which day it is! There seemed to be some disagreement on the bus ride this morning about the date, so we have simply settled on today being...TODAY!
We will do our best to update sometime tonight (or early this morning depending on where in the world you are). Most likely will not get a chance during the day as we once again hit the ground running. Have a restful evening!

DAY 1

Well, we are back to our hotel after 40 hours of travel! To say our kids have been great is an understatement. We have not missed a beat, and absolutely no complaining in spite of our furious pace. A quick recap:

We arrived in Hong Kong this morning at 6:00 am and immediately traveled Victoria Peek, the highest point in HK. We took a cable car to the peek, but were unable to enjoy the view because of the dense fog that rolled in. Fortunately, our guide Alan took us to another lookout a couple hundred feet lower where we enjoyed a bird's eye view of the city. Of course, we made time to enjoy a Starbucks coffee as we (ME) were running on fumes!

From there we headed to Aberdeen Harbor where most of us took a boat tour of the house boats that permanently remain there. What an interesting contrast of seeing these shanty boats without plumbing resting in the shadows of homes that cost tens of millions of dollars. It highlighted the economic curiosity of HK.

Next stop was Stanly Market on yet another harbor. This is a large outdoor market that is centered along a picturesque view where the mountains meet the water.

We finally checked in to our hotel where we showered and took a one hour nap. Then off to dinner, a stroll down Nathan Road (picture Rodeo meets Times Square) and concluded the night with a light show over the HK Harbor.

Now it is off to bed because we have a 5:30 am wake up call and head to the airport at 6:15. Shanghai tomorrow baby!!!!!

Interesting Fact - In HK there is a tax on all new vehicle purchases...the rate? 60-150% depending on the make and model.

Safe in LA

We arrived safely in LA just in time for a five our layover. Thank goodness we are getting on the plane soon - the senior girls are getting cranky! Nate